Arata Momohara Prof. Ph.D.

Prof. Momohara graduated from the Osaka City University and has been a teaching stuff in the Faculty of Horticulture, Chiba University since 1994 after a career as curator in the Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba. The study covers environmental archaeology, palaeobotany, palaeoecology, and conservation ecology. Quaternary vegetation and floral history in Japan and East Asia accompanied with glacial and interglacial climatic cycles and anthropogenic influences is the main subject of the research based on plant macrofossils analysis including fruits and seeds. The study of regeneration of endangered aquatic plants from the dormant seeds in lake sediments is contributing to the nature conservation in Japan.
Councilor of Japan Association of Quaternary Research, Member of International Organization of Palaeobotany.

Recent research projects

Diversification process of the vegetation and flora in central Japan with Plio-Pleistocene environmental changes

Diversification process of high mountain oaks with uplift of Himalayas and Quaternary climatic changes

Publications in English

Nasu, H., Momohara, A., Yasuda, Y., and He JJ., (2007) The occurrence and identification of Setaria italica (L.) P.Beauv. (foxtail millet) grains from the Chengtoushan site (ca.5800 cal B.P.) in central China, with reference to the domestication centre in Asia. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, in print

Momohara, A., (2004) Palaeoecology and history of Metasequoia in Japan, with reference to extinction and survival in East Asia. In, LePage,B., Williams, C., and Yang, H. (eds.) "Topics in Geobiology, 22. The geobiology and ecology of Metasequoia", 115-136, Springer